Posted by: Rod Kurtz on April 8, 2007

Good data hygiene is essential for businesses of all sizes, but beyond simply being a matter of good business practice, our research shows that an operational respect for the customer is good for business. When we studied the correlation between the business/customer relationship in the financial-services industry, we found that a bond of trust translates to customer loyalty. Similarly, consumer research firm Yankelovich correlated consumer trust to higher per-customer profitability. Forming good data hygiene habits early in the life of a business is important to establishing a culture that supports a top-to-bottom awareness and respect for customer privacy, data security, and strong data management as the organization grows.